Fire alerts spike in Indonesia as risk of haze crisis returns

Fires are flaring up once more on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Media reports in the region indicate that the resulting smog has already reached unhealthy levels over parts of Indonesia and Malaysia.

New fire alert data from NASA, compiled by WRI as part of an ongoing series of analysis, show a total of 198 high-confidence fire alerts during the period of July 20-22, almost half of which were inside of logging, palm oil, and pulpwood concessions. The number of fire alerts shows a dramatic upward spike from the previous weeks. This is especially alarming, given the recent commitments from companies and regional governments to address the causes of the fires, as well as the announcement of a high-level agreement on fire monitoring by ministers of five Southeast Asian countries last week. Above all, the new data indicate that Indonesia’s fire and haze crisis continues and remains a serious issue. Decisive action is needed from governments and companies to address the underlying causes of the fires and respond quickly when new fires are detected.

Figure 1 shows the distribution of fire alerts over the period of July 20-22. The fire alerts are concentrated in the north of Riau Province on the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

Figure 2 indicates the distribution of these fire alerts between different types of land use. Almost half of the fire alerts occur in logging, palm oil, and pulpwood concessions. A list of the effected concessions and companies is available at the end of this document.

The number of fire alerts from the past weekend indicates a marked upward spike in fire activity from the past weeks. The activity from July 20-22 amounts to 198 fire alerts. While fortunately well below the peak incidence of fire alerts on June 19 (Figure 3), this number is high and is comparable with levels on several other days in June when haze levels were dangerously elevated.

How to Reduce the Risk of Fires and Haze

The spike in fire alerts in Sumatra shows that the fires and haze crisis is far from over, as WRI stressed last week. Governments across the region can mobilize resources to help identify the locations of the fires, contribute to firefighting efforts, and investigate the exact causes of the fires. Companies can do the same, and ensure that any fires on their concessions are quickly extinguished.

In the long term, better monitoring, enhanced enforcement, more transparent data, and improved governance could help reduce the risk of further fires and haze. At the recent meeting of Southeast Asian governments on the haze in Kuala Lumpur, governments in the region committed to share concession maps between themselves, but elected not to make the maps available to the public. WRI recently put out a statement noting that this was a disappointing decision, and called on governments in the region to publicly disclose company concession boundaries. This transparency would improve coordination between governments and local agencies, empower companies to more rapidly identify and extinguish fires in and around their concessions, allow better contract compliance between commodity producers and their customers, and bolster independent monitoring and research by civil society. By addressing these fundamental needs and opening data archives, Indonesia and the region have a better chance at a less hazy future.

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